Publication Date:
2021-02-23
Description:
The meroplanktonic larvae of benthic organisms are an important seasonal component of
the zooplankton in temperate coastal waters. The larvae of the reef-building polychaete
Lanice conchilega contribute up to 15% of the summer zooplankton biomass in the North
Sea. Despite their importance for reef maintenance (which positively affects the benthic
community), little is known about the trophic ecology of this meroplanktonic larva. Qualitative
and quantitative estimates of carbon (C) transfer between trophic levels and of fatty
acid (FA)—specific assimilation, biosynthesis, and bioconversion can be obtained by compound-
specific stable isotope analysis of FA. The present work tested the hypothesis that
the concept of fatty acid trophic markers (FATM), widely used for studies on holoplankton
with intermediate to high lipid contents, is also applicable to lipid-poor organisms such as
meroplanktonic larvae. The incorporation of isotopically-enriched dietary C by L. conchilega
larvae was traced, and lipid assimilation did not follow FA-specific relative availabilities in
the diet. Furthermore, FAs that were unavailable in the diet, such as 22:5(n-3), were
recorded in L. conchilega, suggesting their bioconversion by the larvae. The results indicate
that L. conchilega larvae preferentially assimilate certain FAs and regulate their FA composition
(lipid homeostasis) independently of that of their diet. Their quasi-homeostatic
response to dietary FA availability could imply that the concept of FATM has limited application
in lipid-poor organisms such as L. conchilega larvae.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
,
isiRev
Format:
application/pdf
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